Political Dirt

It’s well known that media influences people, but to what extent? My guess is if you asked someone if they thought watching something day in and day out (or even a few times a week) COULD have an effect on a person, they would say yes. (And if they said no, I doubt even they would truly believe that. The studies on media and influence are too proven to be ignored…) Besides that, we all know the more time you spend with a person, the more you take on each others traits….little words or mannerisms…it just happens. Likewise, I think (while we may not pick up on words or mannerisms per se) it’s possible to be influenced, even by the slightest degree, by watching something consistently.

There is a reason I have for saying this….the main reason for this page is for my Oprah-watching Christian friends out there. It’s in NO WAY to point fingers at them or try to make them feel guilty, but to shed some light on a few things so perhaps they’ll think twice, or at the very least, be aware and realize that no matter how solid they feel, they’re not immune to deception. None of us are! (Thank goodness we have the Holy Spirit.) I have watched Oprah myself, not in recent years, but I used to watch her a few times a week. Yeah, I thought she had some off the wall ideas but whatever…who doesn’t. It was obvious she was spiritually lost so you know, I think I even prayed for her a few times, but I moved on.

However…things have changed. After listening to the words from her very own mouth today, I am convinced (and very much concerned) about the number of Christians who are watching, (in innocence perhaps), anything that comes from this woman. Be it the Big Give, or her talk show, or whatever….the reason I am concerned is that even the good things she does (Big Give) CAN color a person’s opinion of her. I am one of those people who generally gives people the benefit of the doubt. And I can see how I would look past her spiritual issues and questions to just let things go and ignore them and see the good that is in her. (Of course we know that the seeming “good” in us isn’t really good by God’s terms…but I still tend to give people a lot of credit…)

For those of you who don’t know, or aren’t aware, Oprah has started a church (unofficially of course, she would never call it a church, I’m sure, (perhaps religious pursuit or some other token name) but that’s exactly what it is.) It’s online, through her website, and it’s based on two things: The book A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and A Course in Miracles by Marianne Williamson. Now if you watch these two video casts, you’ll see it doesn’t take a rocket science to figure out these people are anything but godly. One quote on the video has Williamson stating that

“During the wee hours of morning both angels and demons take shape. I am a magical witch and I can feel it in my bones”

Eckhart is also mentioned in the quote of having heard a voice tell him to “resist nothing” when he was on the verge of suicide at age 29–and I’m sure the story doesn’t end there. Williamson’s course was allegedly (which IMO usually means most very likely happened) transcribed by a Jewish atheist.

Also, Williamson, when asked if Jesus is the Son of God, responded by saying

“hogwash–first of all I believe we are all sons of God and it is our destiny to be as Jesus.”

This is the link to where I first heard of this (and the words out of Oprah’s own mouth…) The second video has actual clips of the classes –I found it interesting that Oprah was very careful to say (to Eckhart) that this is what “you” believe…she never says “we” or “I”…but I believe that is a tactic so people like us can’t point fingers at her saying SHE said this or that… The point is, is that she is promoting him and this book and this whole program, so it’s obvious that she has bought into it…

http://www.carringtonsteele.citymax.com/page/page/5663569.htm

Here’s a sampling of what is being taught….

My mind is part of God’s – I am very holy.

My holiness is my salvation

My salvation comes from me

Let me remember that there is no sin.

Do not make the pathetic error of “clinging to the old rugged cross”

The only message of the crucifixion is that you can overcome the cross.

Also, from her website:

As Eckhart says on page 6, “As you read, a shift takes place within you.“ (Note on this…I truly believe this DOES take place because the reader is opening the door to spiritual things of which they have no understanding of–and have no business dabbling in…)

Now I know a lot of Christians will see this for the hogwash IT is and move on, BUT….there is a bigger point here. Christians are buying into and being fed this crap and are believing it. How do I know that? Because on her website she says every week they hear from people questioning whether this will interfere with their religious beliefs. And some of them are indeed Christians…as seen by the gal on one of the videos who Skyped in.

(And as a side note, if you click on this link and see the banner that says “A New Earth” you’ll see sponsors of this church–right in the same banner header….Chevy, Post-It…they rotate…)

http://www.oprah.com/obc_classic/webcast/archive/anewearth_archive_main.jsp?promocode=HP11

I certainly hope that Christians will see the New Age philosophies coming straight out of the mouths of Oprah and these folks. Not only are they dangerous (they teach you to meditate on the site and tell you to do exactly what the Bible says NOT to do and that is open your mind and allow whatever to come in….) but they are misleading many folks. The statistics of Oprah’s show are incredible….15-20 million folks a day watching….and apparently 2 million registered for these courses.

The importance of guarding our hearts and minds is clearly dictated in the Bible.

Proverbs 24:3 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Why is this so important? Well, I believe this commentary puts it nicely:

Human nature, the law of sin within us, is always seeking to pull us again into the defilement of sin, seeking to destroy our hope of sharing life with the holy God. That is why God counsels us in Proverbs 4:23 to keep—that is, guard, preserve, and maintain—our heart. It is very easy to become defiled by lapsing back to old habits. In stark reality, Romans 8:7 and Jeremiah 17:9 show why: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” The normal human mind deceitfully convinces each person that they are good and love God, men, and law. But the reality is just the opposite: It is at war with God and men, and hates God’s holy, righteous, and spiritual law. It loves itself and its desires far more than anything else. It is this deceitful, self-centered enmity that exerts constant influence, pulling us into the defilement of sin.

However on her site, this is what you are instructed to do:

“When a feeling or thought arises, your intention should not be to chase it away, hate it, worry about it, or be frightened by it. So what exactly should you be doing concerning such thoughts and feelings? Simply acknowledge their presence.”

It breaks my heart to see so many people led astray (her included) but more importantly, it makes me think that we need to be even MORE on guard. I don’t think that simply because we are Christians it’s impossible to not glean any of her thoughts or patterns or mindsets simply by watching her. It is. In fact, look how she has promoted Obama from the starting gate…obviously her endorsement hasn’t hurt him, and he was a “rookie” senator not many people heard of a year ago! Yet ironically most people can’t give a single example of anything he has done (good or bad) as senator.

It’s just a word of caution I’m passing on. I’m not one to tell people what to do, but I do believe in knowing WHAT and WHO she is and WHERE she is coming from and allowing the Holy Spirit to tell you if you should be “supporting” her through watching her shows. It’s easy to get sucked into the hype (even of her Big Give show, which I agree with my husband on…if she wants to donate and be benevolent and generous, why does she have to have a show for it?) and I just want people to be aware of what poison she is spreading through this farce of a church.

So…’nuff said. You can get a taste of her crap on the site link above…you can’t actually view the curriculum unless you register (which even in the event of curiosity, I highly recommend NOT doing unless you do it in conjunction with another Christian or your pastor…Satan knows EXACTLY where to get us and I truly believe that opening those doors is a dangerous thing…) You can get enough of a taste of this just by what is available to see without registering.

Oh and one final note to summarize it all:  It’s just a bunch of plain ‘ol New Age garbage.